Egalitarian
adjective /ɪˌɡalɪˈtɛːrɪən/ — Believing in and working toward equal rights for all.
Definition
Believing in or based on the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities — marked by a belief in human equality regardless of birth, class, race, or other distinctions.
Beyond the definition
Egalitarian is both a belief and a practice. The belief is that equality is not just desirable but fundamental; the practice is treating people accordingly in daily life — not the condescension of noblesse oblige but the genuine refusal to rank.
Origin & history
From French egalitaire, from egalite (equality), from Latin aequalitas. Related to the French Revolutionary ideal of egalite — one of the three values of liberte, egalite, fraternite.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The company had a genuinely egalitarian culture — titles were de-emphasised and everyone ate in the same cafeteria.
His politics were consistently egalitarian — he had no patience for systems that produced unnecessary hierarchy.
There is something egalitarian about great art — it speaks across distinctions of class and education.
Synonyms
democratic, equal rights, non-hierarchical
Antonyms
hierarchical, elitist, aristocratic
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Shared Work on Bridge
Three unnamed adults work around a table, each contributing a different piece to build a shared model bridge.
The cooperation between the three equals around the table embodies an egalitarian approach. Each person contributes their piece to the structure based on shared goals, reflecting a belief in equality where no individual’s contribution is more important than another's.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration